Accidently In Love
by blink182fanforever
Summary: When Troy and Gabriella start fighting, she turns to Ryan for support. What happens when her feelings for Troy start to dissapear, and she gains feelings for Ryan? Will she stay with Troy, or leave him for Ryan? Ryelladon't like? Don't read.
1. Chapter 1

**[DISCLAIMER: I do not own High School Musical or ANY of the characters. I do not own any of the songs I use. This is just my opinion. Sorry now incase of any spelling mistakes, I do not have a spellcheck.**

Ryan Evans lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The last day of summer had come and gone so quickly. It felt like it should only be the beggining of August. But here it was, September 3. He didn't want to go to school the following day. No one did. Summer hadn't lasted long enough. It went by much too fast. Everyone said so. Even Gabriella and Taylor, who Ryan had become better friends with after the baseball game that summer at Lava Springs. Infact, he was friends with the entire group now. Now that he was no longer Sharpay's poodle, he actually had friends. Real friends.

Oh, Sharpay and Ryan were still close of course. But, now he was able to say "no" to her. And often did. It made her very angry that he would say it to her. She hated anyone saying "no". But Ryan knew he had to stand up for himself. The two had a special bond, that seemed unbreakable. They were twins. How could they hate each other?

Letting out a loud sigh, he rolled over to look at the clock. Eight pm. That day had went by the fastest out of the whole summer. He really didn't want to go back. But, then a small appeared on his face as he rolled onto his back again.

_"Atleast I get to see Gabriella tomorrow."_ He smiled to himself as he thought this. It had been only a few days since he had seen her, but it felt like an eternity. He knew that her and Troy were happy together. But, he really liked Gabriella. Always had. But, over that summer, his feelings grew much stronger. He just wished that she felt the same.

Right when he thought about Gabriella, the song came on. The song, that reminded him of the way he felt about her. It was almost exactly how he felt. Almost as if, he wrote it, or someone wrote it FOR him. He grabbed the remote off his bed and turned it up louder. Within seconds, he was singing along loudly.

**"You take a seat right next to me  
And I take my lit notes nervously  
I've gotta stay calm I just want you to stay  
I am always daydreaming  
Hoping you've dreamt of the same thing  
I've gotta stay calm I don't want this to change**

I've been assuming everything  
Hoping you'll soon mean everything  
I've gotta stay calm I want this to be real  
I don't think you're into me  
But truly that's okay with me  
I've gotta stay calm and find out how you feel

So if you wanna say 'I-I-I like you'  
I might feel just like you  
If you choose-choose not to  
I knew you-you would

Sometimes I think I am out of my league  
And then sometimes I think I can dream  
Sometimes I wish I could be the one fish  
That you choose out of all in the sea

We are non existent  
But I'll try to be persistent  
I've gotta keep on if want to be close to you  
I know you're uninterested  
I'm probably just some stupid kid  
I could give up if you would want me to

So if you wanna say 'I-I-I like you'  
I might feel just like you  
And If you choose-choose not to  
I knew-knew you would

_**[x2**_**  
Sometimes I think I am out of my league  
And then sometimes I think I can dream  
Sometimes I wish I could be the one fish  
That you choose out of all in the sea"**

He sighed loudly as the song ended. Ryan had liked Gabriella since the day that they had met, even though he hadn't told many people. He didn't even think that his sister really knew. But over the summer, his feelings for her grew so much stronger. Stronger than he ever thought was even possible.

Sharpay came barging into Ryan's room. She always did. She didn't feel that she had to knock on his door. Thats the way she had been their entire life. And, he doubted that she would ever change.

"Yes?" Ryan asked, hardly looking at her.

"I'm bored, Ryan. Entertain me." Sharpay said, exhaling sharply. She sat on the edge of his bed and looked over at him in disgust. "I don't understand why you changed your style over the summer. You used to dress better."

Ryan scoffed, rolling his eyes at his sister_. "Better? I used to dress worse. The way you wanted me to dress."_ he thought to himself. The clothes he used to wear were pretty bad. Well, not all. But most. Now that he was able to stand up to his sister, he dressed better. Almost everyone thought so. The shirts he wore now, were no longer shiny. He also didn't wear much pink or purple either.

"Well?"

"Sharpay, why does it matter? It's my life..." Ryan told his sister, sitting up. He was sick of her trying to run his entire life.

"Your new clothes just, aren't as nice. Thats all." Sharpay snapped, shaking her heag. "God, why are you so tempermental?"

Ryan rolled his eyes at the back of Sharpay's head as she looked around his room. He didn't care if she thought his new clothes were bad. Even he had to admit he felt better. At that moment, he was wearing a pair of black shorts and a white shirt with a black design on it. And of course, a hat to match the shirt. That was the one thing he still loved about his old style. His hats. Hell, he owned more hats than socks, or almost anything else for that matter. He had atleast one hat for every shirt. Some shirts even had two or three that could go with it.

"I'm leaving. Your even more boring." Sharpay rolled her eyes and walked out of the room.

Ryan didn't seem to care that she left. He got up and walked to the door, closing it, since she hadn't. Then he looked around the room and smiled as he saw his yearbook. He picked it up and went back over to his bed. As he sat down, he opened it up. He skipped the pictures of the grade12s and went straight to the grade11s. He wanted to see Gabriella. A dorky smile crossed his lips as he looked at her picture. She was beautiful, inside and out. Oh, the things he would do to be with her. His sister would hate it of course. But, that didn't matter to him. He wanted himself to be happy. Sad thing was, Gabriella was happy with Troy. That didn't work in his favor.Yes, he was glad to see Gabriella happy. That was always good. But, at the same time, it was nearly killing him. Finally, he forced himself to close the yearbook and set it on the floor beside his bed. He didn't want to sit there and stare at it all night like a goof.

Although it was still early, only about 8:30 by now, he wanted to go to bed. He knew that it would pass the time. Now that he thought of it, he couldn't wait for the next day to come. Only to see Gabriella. Thinking for a few minutes, he decided to have a shower. That would pass a half an hour by. He took off his hat and set it on his bed before heading to the bathroom.


	2. Chapter 2

Quarter after six AM, alarm clock screams at Ryan to wake up. Rubbing his eyes, he reached over and hit the top of the alarm clock as hard as he could. He didn't want to wake up. Not yet. Another five minutes would have been nice. But, that was a bad idea. He knew that he should go downstairs and get some breakfast, as well as make some coffee. Yes, that would wake him up. A nice, hot, cup of coffee. The thought brought a smile to his lips. Carefully he pushed away the covers and stood up. He was only in his boxers. Good body for a boy his age. It was in pretty good shape, and had muscles, but not big ones. He did a lot of Yoga, which kept him in shape.

Before heading out of his bedroom, he grabbed a plain white tshirt. As he opened the door, he finished getting the shirt on. Slowly, he descended down the stairs into the front hall. Turning left, he headed into the kitchen. He was the only one awake. As always, he was the first up. Although, he knew that Sharpay would be awake aswell within minutes. Either way, it didn't matter. He walked over to the toaster and stuck two pieces of bread inside then turned to the coffee pot.

Ryan had just finished with the coffee pot when his toast popped. He grabbed the peanut butter and a knife and walked back over to the toaster. Carefully, he took the toast out of the toaster. Placing it onto a plate, he spread a thin line of peanut butter on each piece of toast. Before sitting down, he grabbed a glass and went into the fridge. He grabbed the jug of orange juice and poured it into the glass. With that, he walked back over to where his toast sat on the counter. Grabbing it, he walked over to the table with his toast and orange juice. He sat both down on the table as he got comfortable in the chair. Slowly, he picked up a piece of the toast and bit into it. He wasn't really hungry, but knew he would regret skipping breakfast if he tried to. It happened to him much too often. As he finished the first piece of toast, he took a sip of his orange juice. Sitting the glass down, he grabbed the second piece of toast.

By the time he was done the toast, his coffee was ready. Chugging down the rest of his orange juice, he brought the dirty dishes to the sink and placed them inside. Then he grabbed a coffee mug and poured some coffee into it. Then he went over to the fridge and grabbed the flavoring. Once there was enough for him, he stired it in then headed back upstairs to his room. When he felt awake enough, he would get dressed.

Ryan looked down the hall as he heard a noise. He had just approached the top of the stairs. As he saw his sister, he gave a small smile and headed into his room. Sharpay had just gotten up, late as always on the first day back, and was about to have a shower.

Closing his bedroom door behind him, he turned his stereo back on. Too lazy to change the CD, he listened to the same one as the night before. It was a mix CD that he had made, that held a lot of his favorite songs. So, he didn't mind listening to it again. As the music started to play, he hummed along with it. Although he loved to sing, he didn't want to. Atleast, not at that moment. He walked over to his bed, the cup of coffee held tightly in his hand. He sat down and leaned against the headboard. As he sat there, humming to himself and every so often sipping on his coffee, he tapped his toe to the beat of the music. The song that was on at that moment was: "I Miss You" by Blink182. One of Ryan's favorite bands. Although, some people would have never guessed this.

Even with his music playing, he could hear his sister come out of the bathroom and go into her bedroom. Slowly he turned his head to look at the clock. It was now nearly seven. With a sigh, he stood up, finishing the rest of his coffee. He walked accross his bedroom to his dresser and started to look through it.

Finally after looking through all his drawers, his outfit was ready. He grabbed a pair of black jeans, a white longsleeve button up shirt that had blue stripes on his shoulders and a blue design on the right side of the shirt over the chest, and of course a hat to match his shirt. He also, of course, grabbed boxers and a pair of socks. Slowly, he headed back over to his bed and set the outfit down. Carefully, he removed the shirt and boxers he was currently wearing, and replaced them with the clothes that were on his bed. A few moments later, he was fully dressed. The hat, of course, was on slightly to the side. He looked into the mirror and smiled.

Ryan headed over to where his empty coffee cup sat. He walked over and picked it up. Then he started to head for his bedroom door. Before leaving, he shut his music off. Then he walked back down the stairs into the kitchen and put his cup into the sink.

Pulling out the cup he had used for orange juice, he went over to the fridge. As he waited for Sharpay, he decided that he was going to have some more orange juice.

He was just finishing his orange juice when Sharpay walked down the stairs. She looked over at her brother as she reached the bottom. She placed her hand on her hip, as if expecting him to say something. When he didn't, she let out a loud sigh and rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"Well?" she snapped. "How do I look?"

Her long, blond, curly hair sat over her shoulders. She was wearing a pink strapless dress over a pair of black jeans. Over top of the dress was a small white jacket. Her large plastic hoop earings were the same shade of pink as the dress.

"RYAN!" she snapped again, tapping her foot. She was getting impatient.

"You look...good." Ryan said, hardly even looking at her. He had only said that so she would stop. He knew that if he didn't answer her she would just get more annoying and wouldn't leave the house.

"Good." She smiled happily. Then she went to the door and grabbed her school bag and car keys. Then her happiness faded. "Lets go, Ryan!"

"Coming, sis." Ryan rolled his eyes, walking to the door. He picked up his bag and walked out to the car with her in silience. With a sigh, he climbed into the passengers side of her pink convertable. Neither of them talked on the way to school. Which, Ryan was actually thankful of. He didn't really have anything to say to her at that moment.

As they reached the school, Sharpay pulled into 'her' spot. She had claimed it the day she started to drive. No one dared to try to park there. Both of them stepped out of the car and walked inside of the school together. After checking the list, they went to their homeroom. Of course, it had been Mrs Darbus. Again. Ryan almost wished they hadn't bothered checking. They were two of the first people there, for once. Sharpay refused to go inside because of that. But, Ryan didn't really care. He brought his bag in and sat it down on the top of his usual desk. He then looked around the room. Inside so far was Taylor McKessie and a few students that Ryan didn't really talk to. He walked over and sat down in the desk infront of Taylor.

_"Hey Taylor, hows Gabriella doing?" _is what he really wanted to say. But, he decided against that. Clearing his throat, he smiled at her. "Hey Taylor. How excited that this is our last year?"

Taylor looked up and seen Ryan. If the summer hadn't went as it did, she wouldn't have answered him if he came to talk to her. But once she realized that he had a heart afterall, she couldn't really be mean to him. "Hey Ryan. Yes, and no. How about you? What are your plans for after highschool?"

"I don't really know yet. Probably going to end up on Broadway. Or, atleast I hope." He laughed, giving a shrug. "How about you? Off to college afterwards?"

Taylor smiled brightly as she nodded her head. "Yeah, I am hoping so."

"You will be able to get into any college or university you apply for. I'm sure of it." Ryan told her truthfully. She really could. There was no doubting that she was the smartest girl her age. Well, maybe Gabriella was a bit smarter. But, if so, not by much. Both of the girls were very smart, with very bright futures ahead of them. They could do anything they wanted to do. Ryan was sure of it.

Taylor didn't answer him. It wasn't that she was trying to be rude. But, her attention had been torn away when Gabriella entered the room. She had seen her right when she had been about to answer Ryan. A smile crossed her face as she beckoned Gabriella over.

Ryan nearly froze as Gabriella walked over. He looked up at her and smiled as he stood up, offering the seat to Gabriella. She thanked him as she sat down. He kneeled down on the floor beside Taylor's desk. Finally, Ryan broke the silience that had fallen over them since Gabriella had arrived. It wasn't an awkward silience. But, he wanted to talk to Gabriella. Badly.

"So, how was your guys' summer?" he then lowered his voice slightly. He didn't want anyone to overhear him. "My sister didn't ruin it...did she?"

"The beggining of the summer wasn't so great..." Gabriella sighed slightly. "I did get in a lot of trouble with Mr. Fulton at the beggining."

"But, it all started to come together after the Baseball game." Taylor added with a smile.

"Yeah. Most of the summer was good after that." Gabriella agreed with a smile. She then put her hand gently on Ryan's arm. "I know I've told you this many times, but you did wonderfully at that game. You really did."

Ryan smiled, she had told him many times. But, it felt good every time that she did. Every compliment that she gave him made him feel good. Even if it was one that was repeated a lot. He wanted to tell her how he felt. He wanted to tell her so bad. But, that wasn't the best idea. Especially since he could now hear Troy and Chad enter the room. Well, he didn't exactly hear them. But, he did hear Taylor call Chad over. As Troy approached Gabriella, Ryan could see something. Although they both acted as if they were happy. Ryan could see something in Gabriella's eyes. An unhappiness of some sorts. He didn't know what was wrong, but he wanted to.

Sharpay's jaw dropped as she looked into the classroom. She knew that he was friends with them. But, it still made her mad. She glared at the back of his head for a second then headed into class. She sat her bag down on her desk and looked over at her brother. He caught her glance. She sighed loudly, shaking her head. Her sigh made everyone else around Ryan turn and give her a dirty look. Chad went to say something, but Ryan gave him a look telling him not to. He was actually surprised that this stopped him. But, was glad. Although his sister could be a snot, he didn't want his new friends to make her mad.

As the bell rang, Ryan walked over to his seat.


	3. Chapter 3

It was finally Friday morning. The first Friday of the new school year to be certain. Even though school had started barely even days ago, everyone was excited about the weekend. Most people were hoping to catch up on their sleep and get back into sleeping patterns. Not many had tried doing that the last week of their summer. They didn't see any fun in that.

Although most kids were talking about what they were going to do that weekend (or the past summer), Ryan and Kelsi felt that there were better things to be talking about. They were discussing the upcomming musical. After _'Twinkle Towne Musical'_ Mrs Darbus asked Kelsi to write more. Now most of the musicals that went on at East High were written by Kelsi. Atleast for now they were. She was very proud of that fact. She got to do what she loved, and get noticed for it, that her stuff was out there. Although, it wasn't as far out as she wanted it. But, she knew that it would most likely come with time.

When the lunchbell finally rang, Ryan smiled brightly. That morning he had missed breakfast due to sleeping in a little, so he was pretty hungry. This was the reason he ate breakfast most days, so he wouldn't get this hungry before lunchtime. He hated the feeling of being over hungry. The sick feeling.

Ryan got up and followed the crowd outside into the hallway. Sharpay was already standing by his class waiting for him. It was the one period that they didn't have class together. Ryan found it quite peaceful. Atleast he got sometime away from his sister. Even if it was only an hour.

Everyone had heard about what happened between Sharpay and Ryan over the summer. Even those who weren't there knew. Many people, still didn't believe it. They didn't think that the day would come. The day that Ryan Evans became his own person; the day that Ryan Evans, used his own brain. Although the most surprised was definately Sharpay. He had been bossed around by her his entire life, and he was sick of it. (The worst years were definately throughout Highschool) Now, he hardly did anything she said. And he felt great. He actually started to like himself more than he ever thought that he would.

(few minutes later)

"Please Gabby?" Troy begged.

Troy and Gabriella were standing in a deserterd hallway. The shop hall infact. Not many people hung out down there. Atleast, not at lunchtime. Unless they were working in their classes. It was definately because of the smell.-It smelled of wood, oil, and many other substances mixed. The reason the couple were down there, was to avoid any big groups of people. They didn't want others hearing their argument.

"Troy, I said no. I'm not ready for that yet." Gabriella replied shaking her head.

Ryan walked around, trying to avoid Sharpay. He had lost her back at their lockers. Which, he was thankful of. He planned to keep it that way. He wasn't in the mood to be listening to her telling him what to do. Infact, he didn't mind the thought of being completely alone. He could use the time to sit down and think.

"Please Gab? Just..."

"NO TROY! STOP ASKING!"

As Ryan heard this, he froze. He had entered the shop wing, but was nowhere in sight of the two. They were around the corner. Slowly, he walked down the hall and peeked slowly around the corner. When he saw Gabriella, he was tempted to go over to her. But, he quickly realized that doing that was a horrible idea. He pulled his head back, but stayed their against the wall. He wanted to stay there to make sure that Gabriella wasn't going to get too hurt.

"Please Gabby, I really.."

"Well, I don't! I'm not ready! What happened to the old Troy I knew? The one that cared about me and my feelings?"

"What do you mean by that?" he asked sounding more like the normal Troy.

"You know what I mean Troy!" she nearly yelled, her voice was rather shaky. To Ryan, she souned like she was about to cry.

Troy opened his mouth, ready to speak. But before he could get a word in edgewise, Gabriella shook her head. She turned on her heel and started to walk away from him. Looking at him was killing her at that moment. She didn't know what she should do. She wanted to stay with him, because of how much she cared about him. But, there was no way she was going to give in. And by the looks of it, he wasn't going to give up. She didn't know what to do. She just wanted time to think. Time away from Troy. Maybe even time away from everybody. Now that she thought of it, she wanted to go home. Thats where she could think the best. Atleast about things like this. But, she still had two classes left. Troy reached out, grabbing Gabriella's hand. He turned her around and tried to talk to her again.

"Troy, I don't want to hear it. Not right now." she pleaded, pulling her hand away. "I need to be alone for a while."

With that, she didn't turn to face him anymore. Even when he called her name. Infact, she started to run when she heard him move from his spot.

As Gabriella ran around the corner, Ryan acted shocked. Without even meaning to, she ran right to him, into his arms. She looked into his eyes and started to cry. As the tears fell down her cheeks, she hugged him tightly, burrying her face deep within his chest.

"Gabs, are you okay?" Ryan asked her seriously. He hated to see her like this."Do you want to talk about it?"

Gabriella hated to cry in public. She tried her best not to do things like that. But times like this, she allowed it. The thing she was most glad of was that she ran into someone like Ryan. Over the summer, the two had become pretty close. Not as close as Ryan wanted, but, he knew that it could happen. With time. Especially with this fight that Troy and Gabriella seemed to be happening. But, at the same time, for her sake, he didn't want them to break up. He wanted her to be happy.

As he asked her if she was okay, she shook her head. Even though she didn't want to talk about it yet, she wanted Ryan to just hold her for a few minutes. Until she felt better.

It didn't bother Ryan to try and comfort her. Infact, he was actually happy that she didn't mind him trying to help. Not happy that she was upset though. No, that was still killing him. He wanted to know what Troy did to hurt her like this. But, it wasn't his place. Unlike his sister, he tried to let people have their privacy. If they didn't want to talk about something, he wasn't going to try to press the fact.

Ryan pulled Gabriella even closer to him. Not just to comfort her, but also to feel her closer to him. The feeling of her body against his was great. Although, he did wish that it was under different circumstances. He wished that she was holding him because she wanted to be with him. Not just to make her feel better.

As Ryan heard footsteps comming around the corner, he looked up. When he saw that it was Troy, he let go of Gabriella, glaring at Troy. Putting his arm around her shoulders, he started to encourage her towards the door.

"Lets go somewhere else." He whispered. She quickly nodded in agreement as she heard Troy say their names.

Ryan tried to avoid any groups of people. He was sure that she didn't want to be seen crying at school. Carefully, he walked around the school looking for a nice peaceful spot. After looking for a few minutes, he found one by the staff parking lot. Not many people hung out back that way. He walked her accross the parking lot and brought her over to the cemet blocks. She carefull sat down as he told her too, and he sat beside her. When he sat down, she burried her face in his shoulder. At that moment, she couldn't be more glad to have Ryan as a friend. If he wasn't her friend, she wasn't sure who she would be turning to at that moment. There wasn't anyone else that she really wanted to be with at that moment. Now that she started to think about it, Ryan was making her feel a lot better. Even though he wasn't saying anything.

Gabriella went into her pocket and pulled out a kleenex. After drying her cheeks, she sniffed loudly. Even if she was starting to feel better, she was still really hurt. Finally, after sniffing again, she spoke. "Ryan, thanks for being here for me. I really appreciate it."

"Hey, it was no problem. Thats what friends are for. Right?" Ryan asked, looking down at her. As he looked at her, he couldn't stop thinking about how badly he wanted her. It had been so long since he had wanted to be with her. Ever since the first day he saw her he sorta wanted her. But everyday around her, it always made him want her more and more. He just wished that his time would come soon. Or now. He didn't want to wait any longer. Although, if it meant having her, he could. Ryan would do nearly anything for Gabriella. Minus a very few things. Everytime that he saw her, his feelings grew stronger.

"Yeah." Gabriella looked up at Ryan and nodded.

**[sorry its so short and that it took so long to get up here. I've been REALLY busy. again, sorry.**


	4. Chapter 4

Gabriella lay on her bed, staring at her ceiling. Thoughts of Troy were stuck in her mind. She didn't want to think about him anymore. Closing her eyes, she concentrated hard on other things. Almost anything else. But, nearly everything lead back to Troy. Taking a deep breath, she cleared her mind. This time, completely.

A few minutes later, a boy's face appeared in her mind. Not Troy this time though. No, this time it was Ryan's face. Thinking abouth him made her smile. Nothing else mattered at that moment. She didn't even know why. But, seeing Ryan's face, made her happy. The happiest she had felt since leaving Lava Springs. There was just, something about him. Atleast, at that moment.

Just then, her thoughts were interupted by her cellphone. Letting out a heavy sigh, she rolled over and grabbed it. Seeing Troy on it, tears swelled in her eyes. After he phone stopped ringing, she held down the "end" button until the phone shut off. She couldn't handle talking to Troy at that moment. Still. Now was not the time for him. She had the feeling of what he was going to say to her. And she wasn't in the mood to put up with it. Even the thought of Troy made her want to cry. Hearing his voice, well, that would make everything so much worse. She knew that hands down.

"Gabby?" Her mother called from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yes mom?" she called back in reply.

Her bedroom door opened and her mom walked in. She was dressed quite fancy. It made Gabriella want to ask her what was going on. But before she had time to ask, her mother practically answered her question. "I have a meeting to go to for work. You going to be okay with supper and all that? I'm just going to pick something up on the way I think. I don't have time to make anything here. I'm nearly late as it is."

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm not even hungry yet."

"Okay, see you when I get home. I love you."

"I love you too, mom." she smiled as she said the words. With that, her mother smiled and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Half-an-hour after her mother left, Gabriella swung her feet over the side of her bed. She stood up slowly and walked accross her room. She started to examine herself in her mirror and let out a loud sigh. She thought that she looked like a slob. A blue sweatsuit was all that she was wearing. Nothing fancy. In a way, she almost wondered why she ever changed out of her pjaymas that day, since it was a Saturday and she hadn't gone anywhere. With another sigh, she grabbed a hairtye and pulled her black curly hair into a small ponytail.

Without really thinking, she grabbed her cellphone and stuck it inside of her shirt as she left her room. Gabriella started to walk down the stairs to the front hall. After slipping on a pair of shoes, she grabbed her keys and opened the front door. Locking it behind her, she started to head down the walkway. As she walked, she slipped her keys inside the pocket of her swets.

Gabriella walked around Albuquerque aimlessly. She didn't know what she was doing, or where she was going. All she wanted was some time to think. And it was getting boring just laying in her room.

Finally she stopped infront of a large house. Taking a close look at the mailbox, she read the last name. "Evans". Her eyes widened, and she reread it again. Then with a small smile, she looked at the large window at the front of the house, hoping to see Ryan. When she saw Sharpay, she took a deep breath. Now that she was infront of their house, she wanted to see Ryan. Slowly, she walked towards the door. Stopping on the front step, she placed three steady knocks on the door. Closing her eyes, she hoped that it was Ryan that answered. She didn't want to speak to Sharpay, and their parents, well, she didn't want to talk to them either.

"I'll get it!" Gabriella heard Sharpay call to her family. As she heard this, she let out a sigh. Just then, Sharpay answered the door, and looked at Gabriella. "Wrong house. Troy lives down there." She replied, pointing down the street.

"Sharpay, I know where he lives. Besides, I'm not here to see Troy. I'm here to see..." her words trailed off as she heard Ryan ask Sharpay who was at the door. Then she looked back at the girl infront of her. "Your brother."

"My brother? Why would you want to see Ryan? You've already..."

"Sharpay, stop." Ryan told his twin as he found her at the door with Gabriella.

Rolling her eyes, Sharpay let go of the door and shook her head. When she did this, her blonde curls boucned all over the place. She headed back over to the living room. Ryan gave Gabriella a weak smile. "Sorry about her. You know how she is."

"Yeah, I do." Gabriella laughed slightly, nodding her head. She didn't know why she was so happy to see Ryan. But she was. Lately, she had been very happy to see Ryan. It confused her. She didn't like him that way. Atleast, she was sure that she didn't. She liked Troy. Even if he was being a jerk lately.

"So, whats up?" Ryan asked after a few moments of silience. He wanted to know why she dropped by to see him. It wasn't a bad thing. But, he was curious to know. Especially since he had such strong feelings for the girl infront of him. Feelings so strong, that he literally felt that they would never go away. And if she liked him back, he didn't want them to go away. If only he could be her man, he knew that he could make her happy.

"Not much. Just, out and about thinking about things. Decided to stop by." she smiled brightly, looking over at him.

As she spoke, Ryan's smile grew. The thought that she had been thinking about him made him feel so good. Even if it wasn't in the same way he thought about her, it still felt good to know that she was thinking about him.

"So...what are you up to this evening?" Gabriella asked after a few seconds of silience.

"Not much. Homework and what not." Ryan replied, giving a small shrug. Not his favorite thing to be doing. Especially not on a Saturday night. But, there was nothing better to do. "How about yourself? Anything fun and exciting?"

"No. Nothing much." Gabriella shrugged.

_"Wheres Troy?"_ Ryan wondered. He wanted to ask her that badly. Mostly because he wanted to know if they had broken up. But, he didn't ask, for a couple reasons. One, he didn't want to upset Gabriella if they were still fighting, or had broken up. And two, he didn't want to hear that they were still together. So really, either way he would feel bad. He knew that if they were still together, he would most likely have to watch them together at school on Monday. That gave him a few days to prepare himself though. Sort of anyways. He wasn't sure if he would ever truly accept the fact. He lowered his voice as he spoke again. "Yeah, tonight has been pretty boring. And the sister isn't in the best of moods. Even more annoying than usual."

Gabriella nodded her head in agreement. Although she only had to see her for a couple of seconds, she did seem pretty bad. "Yeah, must stuck having to live with her. I mean..."

"Don't worry, Gabs. I know what you are meaning." Ryan laughed, nodding his head. Most people said it in a bad way. But, with Gabriella, he doubted that she meant it in the same way that most people did. Gabriella was too sweet for that. He had never heard her say anything really bad about anyone. Even if they deserved it.

"Okay..good. Because, I can't think of a way to explain it right now." she replied with a laugh.

"Son! Dinnertime." Mr. Evans called from the dinning room.

Ryan sighed, looking over at Gabriella. "I guess I'd better go. I'll talk you later, okay?"

"Okay, talk to you sometime later." Managing a smile, Gabriella nodded. She didn't want him to go yet. But, she knew that he had to. Before turning to leave, she opened her arms for a hug. She wasn't even thinking when she did that.

With a large smile, Ryan gladly hugged her. He took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her body. When she pulled away, he tried not to show the sadness in his face. He wasn't ready for her to let go. Heck, he could have held her there almost all night. He would have been happy with that. Giving a small wave, he walked back inside and closed the door. But, he stood by the window, watching her leave the driveway. Once she was out on the sidewalk, he slowly headed back upstairs to eat dinner with his family.

Gabriella stopped and looked at the house again. Deciding to go back home, she turned around and headed there. Now that she had seen Ryan, she felt better. And she couldn't think of why. As she walked, her phone rang loudly. Hoping it would be Ryan, she looked at the call display. Of course not. It was Troy. With a loud sigh, she pressed talk.

"What do you want, Troy?"

"Gabriella, are you busy right now? I want you to come over and..."

"Troy, not right now. I have other things to do."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Meaning, I'm busy right now. I'm trying to think of what to do about us. The way you've treated me lately...I don't like it, Troy. You were cool for a while, then over the summer you changed. And although you were cool again for awhile, well..."

"Well what? I'm not any different."

"Yes you are."

"N..."

"I think we need to go on a break. I need to think things over." Gabriella felt bad for saying this. But, she still didn't know what to do between her and Troy. She didn't want to leave him, but lately, it seemed to be in her best interest to do so.

"Whatever. Bye." Troy said, hanging up his phone.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Gabriella entered her yard. She couldn't think of a time when she had last felt this confused. Both leaving him, and staying with him had their ups and downs. She just, hadn't decided which one was truly best for her. Somedays it seemed to be to leave him, and others to stay with him. And with the break, she wasn't sure if that was the best thing either. But, it was the best thing that she could come up with at that moment. Besides if he really wanted her back, he would prove it. And Gabriella was willing to take him back if he could prove that he truly wanted to be with her.

When Gabriella reached her front door, she pulled out her keys and quickly unlocked the doors. Once inside, she looked around and headed to the kitchen. Gabriella opened the fridge and started to look inside. She was starting to get hungry, but was unsure what she wanted to eat.

After a few minutes she closed the door to the fridge. It wasn't the best supper, but she decided that she was going to have some Kraft Dinner. Walking over to the cupboard, she opened it up and grabbed a box. She then grabbed a pot and filled it with water. Bringing it over to the stove, she turned the stove on. While she waited for the water in the pot to boil, she got the box of KD ready and grabbed a drink of water.

Ryan tossed and turned in his bed. For some reason, he just couldn't sleep that night. No matter how hard he tried, he was kept awake. Every little noise was hurting his ears, and thoughts of Gabriella were burned into his brain. Although, thoughts of Gabriella were slightly easier to ignore than the sounds. He didn't know what was going on. He had never had a problem like this before. And he hoped he would never have to expierence it again. Luckily, the next day was Sunday. If it had been a school day, he would have been even more angry. After tossing and turning from 1AM till nearly 5:30AM Ryan finally fell asleep.

Five hours later, Sharpay burst into his room. "Ryan! Wake up! We have rehersals! We have to make sure we beat out Troy and Gabriella for this years musical! I'm sure they are going to try and take that away from us too."

"Rehersals? What do you mean rehersals? I never agreed to..."

"Ryan! We are always together in plays. You can't quit on me now." Sharpay snapped at her brother. "Now, get out of bed! We need to be there fifteen minutes. HURRY UP!"

Rolling his eyes, Ryan pushed away the covers. As he sat on the edge of his bed, he yawned loudly, rubbing his eyes with the backsides of his hands. He was way to tired to try and do anything. Besides, he didn't even want to be in the play that year. Atleast, not with him and his sister as the lead. He could agree to him and Gabriella though. All he had to do was try to find a way to convince her to audition with him. But, if she was still with Troy, that would be a lot harder than Ryan wanted it to be.

Slowly, he walked accross his room and grabbed some clothes. A pair of jeans, a black t-shirt, and a black hat. Walking back over to his bed, he quickly changed into the new clothes. With only minutes to spare, he headed downstairs slowly. He was just going with Sharpay to make her happy that morning. There was no way he was going to audition with her. No, somehow, he was going to convince Gabriella to try out with him. He just hoped that his plan would work.

"RYAN! HURRY UP! WE ARE NEARLY LATE!" Sharpay snapped, grabbing her twin brothers arm.


	5. Chapter 5

**yes, I realize they were late at the end of the last chapter. oh well. different week or something. mmkay?  
PS: sorry I haven't updated in so long. too much going on right now.**

"Sharpay! Hurry up, we're going to be late for school if you take much longer!" Ryan called, banging loudly on the door to the bathroom.

The reason they were going to be late, was because Sharpay was still upset about the news she had gotten on Friday. She hadn't slept much since. She lost out the lead role in the play to Gabriella, again. But this time, Gabriella wasn't acting with Troy. This time, it was with Ryan.

As He did this, Sharpay yanked the door open. Putting her hand on her hip, she glared at her brother. With the opposite hand, she waved it around herself. Her hair was only half straigtened, and she had absolutely no make-up on yet. Not the way many people got to see Sharpay. Even her family didn't see it often. And they lived in the same house as her. She put make up on right away in the morning, and didn't take it off until right before she went to bed. She was just one of those kinds of girls."Do I look like I'm ready to leave the house?"

Ryan looked at his twin and rolled his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly cut-off by Sharpay before he could say anything. That wasn't uncommon. It happened to him a lot. He was almost used to it.

"Didn't think so! I look like crap still. Now, leave me alone. I need to finish getting ready so we are not too late. But, question, since when do you care if we are late for school? Oh my god...don't tell me that the girl you like..whats her name, Gabriella? Anyways...don't tell me she made you care about school. Please, don't tell me that. Did she?" Sharpay looked at her brother in disgust. Before he could say anything, she shook her head. "I should have known that she was going to brainwash you."

"Be nice to Gabriella, she's my friend. And she's not the bad person. Infact, she's far from. I don't know why I ever let you convince me she was." Ryan said through gritted teeth.

"Whatever." Sharpay rolled her eyes, slamming the door in her brother's face. She picked up her straigtener and got back to her hair. Once her hair was done-about five minutes later- she got to doing her makeup.

Carefully, she applied her foundation. As she finished that, she leaned back and looked in the mirror. A small smile slide accross her face. She was starting to look better in her opinion. But, it still needed a little bit of work. Looking around, she picked up her eyeliner. Then she leaned in again, and carefully applied that. Smiling at herself again, she turned to the door. Before grabbing the knob, she realized she still needed her lipgloss. Turning around again, she picked up a tube and applied some to her lips. Then she smiled brightly and nodded her head. She was finished now. Reaching for the knob, she turned it and exited the bathroom. She found her brother and hit his arm, grabbing her keys.

"Lets go then, Mr _I got to get to school in a hurry!_"

"Finally!" Ryan snapped at his sister, grabbing his bag and flinging it over his shoulder. He was getting annoyed with her lately. More so than ever. Probably because she no longer had him whipped. She had been a bigger bitch to him since then. And it was driving him crazy. But, he did his best to ignore her.

They both rushed out to Sharpay's pink convertable and hoped inside. After getting their seatbelts on, Sharpay started the car and drove off quickly to school.

When they arrived, there were still students standing arround outside. As Sharpay undid her seatbelt, she turned to Ryan. Rolling her eyes, she waved her hand around. "Happy? We aren't late. Just like I told you. Now, lets go. I know that you want to go and find your lover anyway."

"Sharpay, you don't have to be such a cow all the time you know. And yeah, I'd gladly go and find Gabriella. She'd be better to hang out with than you would be. Atleast she doesn't treat me like I'm a piece of crap." Ryan snapped, getting out of the car. He slammed the door behind him and walked off without another glance at his sister.

Sharpay waited a moment before getting out.When she did, she looked around for her friends. Once she caught a glimpse of them, she threw her bag over her shoulder and walked towards them. Well, the walk was more like a strut. It was just the way that Sharpay walked. Most people at East High were used to it. Except for the new kids. And even they had to learn to get used to her.

"Hey girls." she smiled, approaching them.

"Oh my god, Sharpay, you look great." The girls swooned. They did so everyday. Everyone wanted to keep Sharpay happy. People had to be careful about voicing their opinions about her. If she found out anything bad was said, the person who said it had a very hard time with her. It was best to just leave her be.

They all looked her outfit over with a smile. Sharpay was wearing a blue and pink outfit. The skirt she was wearing, was blue with very fine pink stripes as well as a couple dark blue stripes, and slight pink ruffles underneath. The sweater she was wearing, was very light, and had a very large V neck, which showed the tanktop that she was wearing underneath. Her sweater was almost the same blue as the sweater, and her tanktop was a darker shade of pink than the stripes on her skirt. Not much darker, only about two shades. But, darker none-the-less. And the heels that she was wearing, were pink. The same pink as the tank top, as was her purse.

"I know." Sharpay beamed, looking at each of the girls. Then she turned to face the school. "Let's go inside, shall we?"

One of the girls, was wearing a simple black skirt with a pink tank top. And the other, was wearing a red tank top, with a white skirt. Of course, neither of the girls looked better than Sharpay. They never did. It was almost like they weren't allowed. Thats why Sharpay usually hung out with her brother. But, lately, he didn't want to hang out with her. So, she had to settle for the girls. Thats the way it seemed.

Sharpay took a couple steps forward and stopped. She waited for the other two girls to stand up beside her, so that she was in the middle. Once both of the girls were at a side, Sharpay nodded her head. And as if were saying to go, all three of the girls started to walk at almost the exact same pace.

As Sharpay pushed the two doors open to the school, she looked around. There were a lot of kids crowded in the front hallway. As always. With another nod, the three girl started to walk again.

**"(Oooh) tell me what you think you're lookin at,  
(Noo) so I think I'm Queen Elizabeth,  
(Oooh) and now I'm stuck inside your memory,   
(So) that's why it's so hard to get rid of me**

I'm incredible, so unforgettable,  
So no one can take my place  
I'm unbreakable, highly flammable,  
So girl get out my face

Oh my god I'm going crazy  
Maybe 'cuz were so amazing  
Everybody in there dazin'  
That's the reason why they're hatin',  
Treat us like some superstars  
And only cuz that's what we are  
You know we're going really far  
And ya'll ain't even heard it all 

You hate cuz I'm a rockstar, a rockstar,  
A pretty little problem, uh-huh,  
You hate cuz I'm a rockstar, a rockstar,  
A pretty little problem, uh-huh,  
You hate me cuz I'm everything that you ever wanted to be  
And that I'm lying cuz I love it when you lookin at me  
Cuz I'm a rockstar, a rockstar,  
I said that I'm a rockstar, a rockstar,  
(Keep lookin at me)

(Wow) It seems to me like I was botherin'  
(How) cuz I make walkin look like modelin  
(How) it ain't my fault the boys keep followin'   
(wow) if you were better he wouldn't be wonderin'

I'm incredible, so unforgettable,  
So no one can take my place,  
I'm unbreakable, highly flammable,  
So girl get out my face

Oh my god I'm going crazy  
Maybe 'cuz I'm so amazing  
Everybody in there dazin'  
That's the reason why they're hatin'  
Treat us like some superstars  
And only cuz that's what we are  
You know we're going really far  
And ya'll ain't even heard it all

You hate cuz I'm a rockstar, a rockstar,  
A pretty little problem, uh-huh,  
You hate cuz I'm a rockstar, a rockstar,  
A pretty little problem, uh-huh  
You hate me cuz I'm everything that you ever wanted to be  
And that I'm lying cuz I love it when you lookin at me  
Cuz I'm a rockstar, a rockstar,  
I said that I'm a rockstar, a rockstar,  
(Keep lookin at me)

(Ladies) we're Prima J you know it  
We're not afraid to show it  
We hold our crown and that's right  
It can't stop us now  
The cloud we're on is golden  
They can't fix what's not broken  
Don't act like ya'll don't know  
What's bout to happen now

You hate cuz I'm a rockstar, a rockstar,  
A pretty little problem uh-huh,   
You hate cuz I'm a rockstar, a rockstar,  
A pretty little problem uh-huh  
You hate me cuz I'm everything that you ever wanted to be  
And that I'm lying cuz I love it when you lookin at me  
Cuz I'm a rockstar, a rockstar,  
I said that I'm a rockstar, a rockstar,  
You hate cuz I'm a rockstar, a rockstar,  
A pretty little problem uh-huh,  
You hate cuz I'm a rockstar, a rockstar,  
A pretty little problem uh-huh  
You hate me cuz I'm everything that you ever wanted to be  
And that I'm lying cuz I love it when you lookin at me  
Cuz I'm a rockstar, a rockstar,  
I said that I'm a rockstar, a rockstar,  
(Keep lookin at me)

_**Why don't you take a picture? It'll last longer**_**"**

They sang loudly as they danced down the halls. Everyone was staring at them. Just what they wanted. Sharpay loved the attention.

"Is that..your sister?" Gabriella asked, approaching Ryan.

"Sadly...yes, that is her." Ryan replied with a nod. Then he turned around to see Gabriella. Once he saw that it was her, a smile spread accross his face. After the fight he had with his sister that morning, it was good to see her. Although, he always found it good to see her. And although he almost hated to admit it, he was falling for Gabriella more everyday.

"Wow..she's high on herself. How can you handle living with that?" Gabriella laughed, looking at Ryan. She wasn't usually one to say things like that, even if she thought it. But, she felt comfortable enough around Ryan.

"It's hard. Trust me!"

"I bet!" She giggled, nodding her head. Then she quickly added. "So, how was your weekend?"

"Mine was alright. Sister was pretty annoying the entire time. But, other than that, it was good. How about you?"

"Mine...wasn't so great." Gabriella sighed and looked around. She opened her mouth to tell Ryan what was wrong, but she was interupted by the bell. With another sigh, she looked at him. She was glad to have him as a friend. Especially at that moment. And although her best friend was Taylor, she wanted to tell Ryan her problems first. And, she didn't even know why. Nor did she really care. "Can I hang out with you at lunch? I want to talk to you about something."

"Yeah..sure." Ryan nodded. He was concerned about her. She didn't seem well. And he knew that he would be worried about her all day. He wanted to know what was wrong. Troy was apart of the problem. Ryan was sure of it. But, he didn't know what happened. As long as Troy hadn't hurt her. If he had, Troy was in big trouble.

"Okay. Thanks. I'll see you at lunch then." Gabriella managed to flash a weak smile.

Ryan nodded his head as she walked off. Then he slowly headed to his locker to put his bag in, and take his books out. He was just locking his locker when Sharpay and her friends came over to him. Without even really looking at them, he rolled his eyes and headed to his first class. Math. But of course, he had the class with Sharpay. These were the times he was really glad that their teacher didn't like them talking in class. Atleast he wouldn't have to listen to Sharpay complaining to him about something. At that moment, he wasn't sure if he could handle it. Only seconds after he walked into class, Sharpay followed behind him. As she walked to her seat, she glared at her brother. He rolled his eyes, and looked to the front of the class as Taylor and Gabriella walked through the door. This brought a smile to Ryan's face. He gave both of the girls a small wave.

The girls smiled and walked over to where Ryan was sitting. Gabriella sat in the desk right infront of him, then Taylor sat infront of Gabriella. It was obvious to see that Gabriella had not told Taylor what was going on. Both girls had been smiling since before they had gotten into class. But, Ryan could still see pain in Gabriella's eyes. And it wasn't only because she had told him she was upset.

"Good morning class. First thing I have for you today is Pop Quiz!" their teacher, Mrs. Unrau announced happily.

Everyone sighed loudly as she mentioned the test. Of course. First class, and there was already a quiz. Ryan wasn't liking this day already. There was a lot going on. No one understood why she was so enthusiastic about Math. She was so happy about it everyday. A couple kids in the class always joked about how she did drugs before class. But, no one really believed that. Atleast, not that Ryan knew of. She didn't seem like the type of person to do drugs. Or she would be a large hypocrite. She always talked about how drugs were bad if they were mentioned.

Throughout the test, all Ryan could think about was how Gabriella was doing. He liked her a lot, and hoped that she was okay. She meant a lot to him. Even if she wasn't with him.

The first person to hand in their quiz was Gabriella. Not a surprise to anyone. She was the brightest when it came to Math, hands down. Taylor was done with her own only moments after her friend. Slowly after those two, others started to get up and hand their own quizes in. Ryan was about the tenth done his. Which, he thought was pretty good, considering there were thirty kids in their class. His twin was done soon after.

As soon as the last person handed their test in, Mrs. Unrau rushed up to the overhead and grabbed a pen. She smiled, looking around the class. After telling them to get out paper, she turned the projector on and started to write the title down. They were taking notes. Of course. Mrs. Unrau always made them take notes.

Finally, the bell rang. Everyone gathered their belongings quickly and headed outof the classroom. Ryan, however, walked slowly. He wanted to stay behind Sharpay. Far behind. Infact, he went so slow, that he was nearly late for his next class, English. He got in the door only seconds before the bell rang. He quickly walked over to his seat and took his spot behind Troy and Chad.

English that day was slack. As always. The teacher talked a bit, gave a couple notes, then let the class sit there and talk. Ryan hoped that the two infront of him would talk about Gabriella. He just knew it was because of Troy. All he wanted was to know what was wrong, and he was getting sick of waiting for lunch. Classes were dragging on longer than usual that day. And it was driving Ryan crazy. He wanted Gabriella to be happy. As he thought about her, he remembered the two were to be in the musical together that was comming up. He hoped that whatever happened didn't make her drop out. The last thing he wanted was to have to find someone else to do the part. Or worse; have his sister play the part.

After English class, Ryan had spare. With Sharpay. Not wanting to be around her, he went into the library right away and started to do his English homework. He didn't have much, but he knew that it would help pass the time until Lunch. And, luckily for him, it did. A few minutes before the bell, Ryan rushed out of the library and to his locker. After shoving everything inside of it, he grabbed his lunch. When the bell rang, he walked down the hall to Gabriella, who was at her own locker.

"Hey you." he smiled slightly as he approached her.

"Hey." she replied quietly, looking up at him with a sad face. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her lunch and closed her locker. "Let's go somewhere quiet. Please?"

Ryan nodded and lead Gabriella to a set of stairs at the back of the school. A few people walked through there, but not very often. Most of the time it was completely deserted. Ryan often sat in this spot when he didn't want to be around Sharpay. Once they both sat down, he looked over at her, his face filled with concern. "So..whats up?"

"Troy and I...we...broke up. Officially. Last week I told you we were on a break...well...I talked to him again the other day. And, I decided that I'm through with him. I knew he was acting different once we started to work together at Lava Springs...but I never imagined...I found out that he cheated on me. More than once." She took a deep breath, tears stinging her eyes. She looked over at Ryan as the tears fell down her cheeks. His mouth was open, and Gabriella knew what he was saying. Or, wanting to say. "Sharpay..he cheated on me...for Sharpay. He admitted to it on Saturday night."

"Are you...oh my god..." Ryan asked in shock. He couldn't believe that Troy would cheat on Gabriella. Especially for Sharpay. As he started to speak again, he put his arms around her. "I'm so sorry..."

"It's not your fault. I'm just..so hurt. I can't believe he would do this." she sobbed into Ryan's shoulder.

"I know but...he shouldn't have done this to you." With a loud sigh, he closed his eyes, holding onto her. "_Why would Troy hurt Gabriella? She's so beautiful. Not only on the outside..but on the inside too."_

Even when Troy and Ryan got along, Ryan never really liked him. He had a feeling that Troy was a jerk. And he was right. But never did he suspect this. It didn't seem real. But, he knew that Troy wouldn't say that to Gabriella if it wasn't true. But if it was with his own twin sister, how come he didn't know about it? He was sure that Sharpay did this to piss Gabriella off. Well, that and because she liked Troy. She always had. And she had always made it obvious.

"Want to hang out tonight?" Gabriella asked, sitting up and wipping her eyes. "I need to get my mind off of him."

"Yeah...of course." Ryan nodded his head.


	6. Chapter 6

"I know that you can do better than that, both of you." Mrs. Darbus snapped at Ryan and Gabriella. "Run through that again. This time, entertain me."

Ryan took a deep breath and looked over at Gabriella. He too knew that they both could do better, but he had a lot on his mind, and he was sure that Gabriella did too. There was a lot going on at East High lately. A lot of it had to do with Troy, Gabriella and Sharpay. Ryan knew that his sister was going off on dates with Troy all the time, and he tried to stop her. Only because he didn't want to see Gabriella so hurt all of the time. But, she didn't listen. She was happy that she was finally with Troy. Ever since grade school she had had feelings for him. If Troy hadn't cheated on Gabriella for his sister, Ryan would probably be happy for her. But, he hated the fact that Troy hurt Gabriella.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Darbus. I just...need to get my head cleared out. Can we have a quick break? You know, to grab a drink or something?" Gabriella asked, wanting to get her mind off Troy. All he did lately hurt her. She knew that he was still with Sharpay, even if they kept it all quiet. Only because she had asked Ryan, knowing that he wouldn't lie to her.

"Five minutes. I'm timing you. Hurry up." Mrs. Darbus sighed loudly.

Kelsi looked over at her two friends. She could tell something was up with Gabriella, even though she hadn't said anything. Everyone knew of the Troyella split. But, few knew the real reason why the two split. And of course, the only ones that knew were the three involved, and Ryan. Gabriella hadn't even told her best friend, Taylor, yet. She was unsure if Troy had told Chad. Her guess was that he hadn't. Chad and Gabriella got along well, mostly because she was best friends with his girlfriend, Taylor. She had the feeling he would have at least been mad at Troy for even just a day.

As Gabriella walked over to grab a drink of water, Kelsi stood up from her piano. She walked over to Ryan and in a low voice, watching Gabriella still, she whispered, "Hey...what's going on with Gabby? Is she alright? Is it because of the split?"

Ryan sighed as Kelsi spoke. It wasn't up to him to tell her friends. But, he was going to tell her anyway. Well, not the full story, only part of it. "I can't really say much. But, yes, it is because of the split."

"Why did they split?" Kelsi asked, knowing that the story they had told wasn't the full truth. But, then she realized that Ryan, if he knew, wasn't going to tell. She was sure that Gabriella had asked him not to say anything. So, she shook her head. "Never mind...it's not your business to tell me. I shouldn't be asking you. But...do you think she's going to be alright?"

Ryan thought it over in his head. He hoped that she was going to be okay. Well, he was sure that she would be. Maybe not yet, but soon enough she'd be okay. He was going to make sure of that. He cared about her, a lot, possibly even loved her. Although, he wasn't going to admit that he loved her to just anyone. He gave a small nod of his head. "Yeah...I think she will be. Maybe not right away...but she'll be fine. If she's not soon...we can get a big group of her friends together and throw her a party or something. Not sure yet. But, we will probably be able to find something."

Kelsi gave a small nod of her head as Gabriella started to walk back. "Yeah...so...you're doing great. It's just this scene you two need to work on..."

It was a complete change of subject, of course. She didn't want Gabriella to know what they were really talking about. She did want to know what was wrong with her friend, but she knew she would find out in time. Even if she didn't want to wait, she would have to.

"Kelsi...I'm sorry I'm not doing so well right now. Just got a lot on my mind, I'm trying to do better. I promise."

"Don't worry about it." Kelsi smiled. She, of course, had written this play. Ever since Twinkle Towne Musical the year before, she had been doing well in that aspect. She was very proud of herself. "We all have our times where we just can't get things right. You'll be fine soon, I know it."

"Thanks, Kels." Gabriella smiled at her friend. Then she glanced at Ryan, her smile grew slightly. Although she was scared to admit it, she definitely had feelings for him. She always had, but lately they were growing stronger. He was a great friend. He had proven that to her that summer at Lava Springs. When he wasn't being brainwashed by Sharpay, he was a great friend. "Anyways...I think I'm ready to try again. I'll do my best."

"Gab, don't worry. I understand that you're going through a tough time. Ryan understands too. Everyone does. If you ever need to talk...you know that I'm here for you. All your friends are." Kelsi smiled.

"You're a good friend, Kelsi. So are you Ryan. I don't know where I would be without you guys." She smiled, looking at one then the other.

"Times up! You had better all be ready. Let's try this scene again." Mrs. Darbus announced loudly.

Kelsi looked at Gabriella and smiled. She gave a small nod and walked back over to her piano. Both Ryan and Gabriella stayed where they were. They looked over at each other. Ryan gave her a reassuring smile, as if to tell her that everything would be alright. Oh, he was going to make sure of that.

Gabriella took a deep breath and closed her eyes. After a second, she nodded her head. She was trying her best to keep her mind off of Troy...and Ryan.

"Oh...Darwin, why must you leave for..."she started, but was unable to finish. As she thought about her lines, tears came to her eyes. She lifted her hand to her face and wiped the tears away. After apologizing, she tried again. But, she couldn't do it. There was no way she was going to be able to do it that day. It was just going too badly for her. "I'm sorry; I'm not going to be able to do this today. Mrs. Darbus, I'm truly sorry. I need to go home."

Ryan looked over just as she started to wipe her eyes again. The tears were starting to flow down her cheeks. Not wanting everyone to see her, she turned and ran off.

"Gabriella! Wait!" Kelsi called after her, getting up from the piano again.

Ryan was already chasing after her, Kelsi followed not far behind him. They caught up to her outside the back of the school. As they reached her, Ryan carefully grabbed her arm and turned her around. "Gabriella...are you alright?"

Although she didn't want to admit it, she shook her head. She didn't want her friends to worry about her. But, she knew that they were going to either way. So, she might as well tell them the truth. It was what they deserved to hear. "No...I'm not. I ...can't rehearse. Not today. I'm sorry. I need...friends right now. Can you guys come over for a bit?"

Ryan nodded his head quickly as she spoke. Any chance he got to spend with Gabriella; he was definitely going to take. Then she turned to Kelsi, who nodded her head as well.

"Can I invite Taylor and Martha too? Just because...if there are more of us...we can all...try helping." Kelsi said, not really knowing what to say. She was sure that Gabriella would understand what she meant though.

"Yeah...sure...I guess so. I could use the friends right now." Gabriella nodded, tears flowing down her face faster.

"I'll go and grab my bag...and call them. I'll meet you back here in a few minutes." Kelsi said, turning on her heel. She quickly headed back inside and over to her piano, where her bag was sitting. As she picked it up, she dug in one of her pockets for her cell phone. Instead of calling the two, she quickly texted both of them. She figured it would be easier that way. Cheaper too. _**"Meet me at Gabriella's place, ASAP! It's important."**_

Back outside, Gabriella started to cry harder. As she did, she moved closer to Ryan and buried her face in his chest. Right now, she just wanted him to hold her. And hold her close. When he put his arms around her, she was able to smile slightly through the tears.

Ryan held her close. It definitely felt good to have her in his arms. Even under the circumstances that they were in. He carefully moved his hands from her back, to her elbows as he pulled away slightly. Using one of his hands, he gently lifted her chin up. Looking into her eyes, he took a deep breath. He was tempted to lean in and kiss her, but wasn't sure that it was the best idea. "I know this is hard to do, but the best thing is just forget him...and move on. If he was a big enough jerk to do this to you, you can definitely find better. I promise you. Especially since..."

Before he could finish, Gabriella took a deep breath. Standing on her tip toes, she leaned in and kissed his lips gently. After realizing what she had done, her eyes widened. She backed away, and shook her head. "Ryan...I'm sorry...I shouldn't have done that...it just..."

Ryan had been caught off guard by the kiss. But, he couldn't deny that he had enjoyed it. He really had. And he couldn't believe that it had just happened. Taking a deep breath, he smiled at her. Then moving closer to her again, he leaned down and kissed her again.

Kelsi came outside just in time to see this. Her eyes widened and she couldn't move. She wasn't sure what to do. She had the feeling that Gabriella had liked Ryan...but she had never suspected this.

Neither of them noticed Kelsi come outside. They looked into each other's eyes, smiling brightly. Even Gabriella couldn't help but smile at that moment. She had enjoyed the kiss. Well, both of the kisses. She blushed and let out a small laugh. She didn't really know what to say at that moment. She couldn't believe that she had actually kissed him. But, it was a great feeling. It was something she had wanted to do for quite a while. Even though she never would have admitted to liking Ryan, especially not when she was with Troy. That just would have been bad.

"I know we probably shouldn't have done that...but...I guess I should let you know...even if you don't feel the same... I like you. I like you...a lot. I've always liked you, Gabriella. I'd love to be with you. But, if you don't feel the same...I understand." Ryan replied, his face turning a slight shade of red.

As she heard the words, her face brightened up a little more. It looked strange with the tear stained cheeks, but it didn't matter. She was happy to hear those words. "Ryan...I like you too. I have for a while. Ever since I worked at Lava Springs I've liked you. But, I couldn't admit that when I was with Troy...I thought him and I were happy. But, I guess not. And after our breakup...and you started helping me...my feelings for you definitely grew. A lot. You've been a great help to me, Ryan. And I thank you for that."

Kelsi's eyes went even bigger as she listened to the two. She found it cute...but strange. Only moments before, Gabriella was extremely depressed. Now, she seemed really happy. Although it was good...it was strange.


End file.
